Education
Understanding how to improve the availability and
quality of education is an important part of the Academy's agenda. Earlier
reports on educational reforms at the primary and secondary level, on the
governance of universities, and on the changing structure of research
institutions have resulted from ambitious projects that examined teaching,
research, and outside influences affecting education at every level.
Current projects look at the feasibility, and social
ramifications, of providing universal basic and secondary education to all the
world's children between the ages of 6 and 17; the challenges facing
traditional notions of academic freedom; methods for improving
critical-thinking skills among students enrolled in kindergarten through higher
education; and effective means for teaching science to liberal arts majors at
American colleges and universities.
Current Projects
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Universal Basic and Secondary
Education: This study investigates the rationale, the means,
and the consequences of providing high-quality primary and secondary education
to all the world's children.
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Academic Freedom:
In response to political and social tensions that threaten the open exchange of
ideas on academic campuses, the Academy convened a group of Fellows to explore
ways the Academy can advocate for and defend academic freedom.
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Science in the Liberal Arts
Curriculum: Less than one-third of American undergraduates
major in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering. This project
examines the goals of science requirements for nonscientists, and how students
fulfill those requirements, in an effort to inform curriculum policies at
higher education institutions.
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K-16 Education and Evidence-Based
Policy: This project brings together experts from education,
law, statistics, economics, policy studies, and business to assess how critical
thinking is taught and to propose ways to strengthen these skills.
Past Projects & Publications
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Changing Student Demographics in
Colleges and Universities: This study explored the impact of
growing racial and ethnic diversity on colleges and university campuses and the
responses of faculties and administrative leaders to these demographic changes.
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Trends in American and German Higher
Education: This project examined higher education and research
in Germany and the United States, and the needs and challenges that lie ahead.
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Principles of Conduct for
Professors: An Academy study group looked at the intellectual
and ethical dilemmas faced by U.S. professors as they balance responsibilities
to their students, their disciplines, the university, and the broader
community. An occasional paper,
Evaluation and the Academy: Are We Doing the Right Thing?, is
available in PDF format.
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The Transition From
Paper: Using the field of chemistry as a case study, this
project probed how the expansion of electronic communications is altering the
collection, dissemination, and storage of scholarly information in the
sciences.
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Center for Evaluation: This multiyear program used meta-analysis techniques to
research, evaluate, and assess new educational policies and interventions.
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1990s
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1980s
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1970s
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1960s
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